LANGUAGE TWO NOTES FOR ADVANCED LEVEL (3)

(By Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa Mirii)
SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY
This play depicts the protest of peasants in Kenya after independence. It is the play that shows the plight (a difficulty and sad situation) of the peasant family like Kiguunda’s family. Kiguunda has only one and a half acre which he considers the basis of the family though the small piece of land is situated in the marginal area. The play dramatise high rate of exploitation as the foreigners use indigenous to exploit Kenyans as we see the multinational companies from abroad engineer people like Ahab Kioi wa Konoru to exploit fellow Africans. So the major attempt of this play is to dramatise high exploitation of workers and peasants by both the foreign capitalist and indigenous people who act as middlemen. The playwrights discuss the issues connected to neo-colonialism and its effects to the developing countries.
Thus this play is the criticism of the contemporary world where big companies from the developed countries in collaboration with the indigenous are exploiting the developing countries under the name of globalization so this play is generally an attack of neo-colonialism.
STRUCTURE OF THE PLAY
The play is made up by of three acts, where by act one is not divided into scenes, act two is divided into two scenes and act three has three scenes.
All these acts and scenes contain events as summarized here under:-

ACT 1

· At kingdom’s family, they are having a poor life. He has a square, mud

Walled white – ochred, one roomed house for the whole family. Gathon is using the floor as bed, where we see rags used as her bedding.

· 2nd Kiguunda and Wangeci are preparing for the visit (Kioi and his Wife Jezebel) Kiguunda mending the broken chain .In the process he cause the title dead fall on the floor He picked it and looked at it and proud of it but Wangeci never praised it as it is so small and the land itself is unproductive.

· The play writgt show the concept of drunkenness in the country especial people who have been dismissed from job.

· We see this through the dranker who passes by Kiguundas hou
se singing.

· He utters sarcastic words and starts to urinate such that Wangeci gets annoyed and chases him away.

· Another aspect in this act is Harambee for the churches and attempts the Christians to convert Wangeci.

· Kiguunda and Wangeci are against new religion and hate the Harambee which asks contributions for building churches from the poor.

· He says he doesn’t see the necessary of building church while it is used once a week. So Kiguunda chase away the group of singers.

· Conflict between Gathon and her mother, mother complains that Gathoni is busy doing her hair while she has a lot of domestic activities.

· Her mother tells her to help her but Gathon become furious

· She starts to complain of too much work and having not sent to school and the state of poverty where she uses the floor as her bed and the rages as her bedding

· She starts exchange bitter word with her mother and later her father shout at her in an intimidating manner

· The parents start discussing modern children that they have undergone moral decadence and they have no respect at all.

· Kiguunda and Wangeci discuss the problem of Wages after running shortage of salt. Hence he don’t have money to buy it

· They send Gathoni to Gicaamba to big salt. Kiguunda says the price of different things have gone so high while Wages have not risen

· K
iguunda complaining that they take long time working in farms of the rich people like Ikuua Wanditika and Kioi but they are paid low wages.

· Kiguunda says Ikuua and Kioi are exploiters hence calling them bedbugs.

· In this act we see the relationship between John Muhuuni and Gathoni;

· Wangeci says that Gathoni is misbehaving because of the relationship between her and John Muhuuni who keeps on hooting on the road in the presence of the parents. Gathoni goes to meet her boyfriend on the road.

· Wangeci later guess that perhaps the visiting of Kioi and Jezebel is to discuss about the marriage of John Muhuuni and their daughter. This was not the case to Kiguunda as he never thought of that.

· Gicaamba and Njooki are introduced in the play. They discuss the relationship between John Muhuuni and Gathoni

· Njooki caution them to tell Gathoni to cut relationship between her and John Muhuuni giving the reason that rich marry to the rich and poor to the poor so there won’t be any marriage as Gathoni and John do not belong to one class.

· They also discuss about the Wages and the way they are exploited in the factories and forms and they blame their fellow Africans like Ikuua and Kioi who work for the interest of the whites in Europe and America.

· We see the arrival of the expected guest plus two other people who make four guests in total ie Kioi, Jazebel, Samwel Ndugire and Helen who are well dressed. They start preaching and convince Kiguunda and Wangeci to be christain and go to the church to have their wedding blessed.

· Kiguunda get annoyed and chases them away. Wangeci blame him that he has done it in a hurried manner. She says he should have waited till they finish the full purpose of shier visitation.

· At the end of this act, Gathon comes in with new clothes and new shoes.

· Kiguunda and Wangeci are unhappy because they never bought their daughter those things so they become furious.

· Gathoni tells them that she has been requested by John to accompany him to Mombasa for a week.

· Kiguunda was completely annoyed but Gathoni never care about that she left them and go with John

· Wangeci calms her husband telling him to stop being dejected as she still have her illusion that the instance of Kioi to go to the church would probably mean to pave the way to the marriage of their daughter and John

ACT 2
SCENE I: Kiguunda brief Gicaamba and Njooki about Kios family that they want Gathoni and John Mhuuni to marry that’s why they want him and Wangeci to be Christian so
that the Marriage can be accepted.
– Gicaamba and Njooki do no accept
– Gicaamba tells them that they must avoid promises as promise doesnot mean delivery.Njooki stress by saying rich families never marry from poor families,Njooki still
says that true love between the two does not base on wealth or property.
– Gicaamba support her and shows his dejection against hypocrisy as people now a days just go church for fashion.
– Gicaamba shows hypocrisy and he says not only in marriage but also in churches. As he says when the rich dies they pray for him but when the poor man
die they don’t care about him/her and they don’t even pray for the burial ceremonies. That’s why Gicaamba add a proverb that “A rich man’s fart does not
stick” means that if someone is rich or a leader people do not consider his/her weakness.
– Gicaamba is against Christian marriage claiming that even the tradition wedding has blessings.
– Gicaamba says the new religion brought by the whites intend to soften the Africans so as to get an easy way to penetrate and exhaust Africans by establishing what they
want citing the way African religious leaders to the detention. Camps like Manyani, Mageta, Hola etc to facilitate the process of weakening the freedom fighter.
– Trying to persuade people to betray others by their secret but some refused like Wanjeri.
– Finally after a long discussion he discourage the blessing of marriage between Kiguunda and Wangeci in church and allowing the marriage between Gathoni
and Wangeci to take place.
– Wangeci seem to be enoyed as she want her marriage to be blessed in church so as to facilitate the marriage between her daughter John Muhuuni as she
has the illusion that her daughter will have better life.
– As a result she convice her husband to go to Kioi’s place to tell them that they accept his plan.Kiguundi accept and go to see Kioi the other day.

SCENE II
– At Kioi home, where we see the difference between Kiois home & that of Kiguunda Kio’s home is well furnished TV, sofa set, plastic flowers on the table, radiogram etc.
presence of electric light. On the wall words written CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THIS HOUSE, THE UNSEEN GUEST AT EVERY MEAL, THE SILENT LISTENER TO EVERY
CONVERSATION. This shows that they are Christians. In the house there are Jezebel, Kioi, Ndugire, Hellen, Ikuua and a Waiter.
– Ikuua want to leave the place but before be leaves. They discuss about the insecticide factory that their friends from abroad want to build. They say the
factory should not build at the area where important people live but to the poor people like Kiguunda.
– Ikuua say the land to build factory should be bought from poor people as they sell their land because of laziness.
– He says once the land is bought Kioi should not write his name rather he should write either of his wife or his son John Muhuuni.
– These people seofem to use their wealth in marrying many wives. For instance Ikuua wa Nditika is a polygamist as he has two wives and he has the
intention of having the third one.
– After the departure Ikuua, Kioi tells Ndugire that he has sent his son to Malindi to check the plot he has bought near watamu bay where he wants to
erect a hotel bi
se of tourism the says the hotels are very profitable as there are many tourists from different countries like America, France and German.
– Kioi blaming the workers that they usually demand increases salaries giving reason of paying school fees or having sick people in hospitals.
– We see in this scene the rich are criticising the churches of the poor just because they are run by illiterate people.
– The arrival of Kiguunda and Wangeci at Kioi’s place
– Wangeci is humiliated by the waiter who draws away a tray as she tries to pick up a cup of tea. This shows that at Kioi’s family food is prepared by
considering the number of people (This is western culture)
– Also Kiguunda and Wangeci are given water from the drum while some of it is in the huge jar on the table. This is another humiliation.
– Kiguunda express what brought them there, he says they are read their marriage to be blessed in the church, Kioi’s are so impressed to hear that.

– Kiguunda introduces the issue of economic crises hence he can not afford the expenses Kioi advises him to take the loan promising him to secure the
loan. Kiguunda agrees with the idea hence promises to bring the title – dead next day.

ACT THREE (3)

Scene I

-New outlook at Kiguunda’s place. New plates caps, basins, new dining table with chairs, suitcase etc. On the wall we see words like that of Kioi’s home

-Kiguunda and Wangeci are very happy with the changes and they are determined to go to the church for the blessings of their marriage

-We see Wangeci and Kiguunda are rehearsing for the wedding ceremony, Singing Christian songs.

-During their rehearsal Gathoni arrives weaping claiming that she has jilted by John Muhuuni after impregnated her.

-She tells her parents that she has conceived because John tells her that she cannot marry a girl before being pregnant as he afraid to marry a barren.

-Kiguunda tells Gathoni that, it is what she wanted because she does not consider his advice.

-Wangeci suggests that they should go to see Kioi for the matter and advise him to let children marry first before blessing their marriage.

Scene II

-At Kioi’s place, where we see Ikuua and Kioi are alone in the room busy counting money.

-They also discuss the establishment of the factory. Ikuua suggests that they should buy the land to the poor people and if Kiguunda will accept that it will be good.

-Kioi shows nepotism as he says/ suggests that John Muhuuni should be the director of the factory

-As he says that their sons should practice responsibility “charity begins at home” Kioi’s said.

-After the departure of Ikuua, Kiguunda and Wangeci arrive at Kioi’s place.

-They tell Ahab Kioi wa Kinoru to postpone their marriage blessing instead they should let children (Gathon and John)to marry first as John has impregnated Gathoni.

-Kioi become angry and reject the idea and he says that his son cannot do that as he has been brought up in a Christian way .

-Kioi chases away Kiguunda clamming that he is telling him nonsense. Kiguunda threaten Kioi that he will take the matter before the law but Kioi says it will not help

-Kiguunda take out his sword threaten to kill Kioi if he cannot sign the agreement. Kioi saved by his wife who comes with the gun and orders Kiguunda to drop his sword Kiguunda dropped his sword but when he wants to take it Jazebel fires the bullet in air where Kiguunda fall down.

-It is in this point where we see that Gathoni did not marry John and it is in this point we prove what Njooki was saying that rich people never marry from poor and poor people never marry from the rich.

-It is in this point we see the concept of disillusion of Kiguunda and Wangeci as their illusion did not come true.

Scene III

-At Kiguunda place. After two weeks Kiguunda is away and his home is like as it was the beginning of the play as all the new things he bought were not there expect the picture of Nebuchadnezzar and the words which was written on the wall.

-Wangeci is dejected and Njook is near her trying to comfort her. Gicaamba is shaking his head showing disbelief of what has happened.

In this scene we see how women and girl are being treated.

-Gathoni has been chased away from home by her father something which makes Wangeci uncomfortable. As she says that her daught has gone to be a barmaid which she associate it with being prostitute. Gicaamba advises her not to call a children prostitute as this negative repercussion has been caused by the parents who neglect woman in giving them education. He says women have been neglected
even before colonialism by tradition and customs

-Gicaamba complain that people have completely forgotten the rule played by women from family level to the national level.

-He says women in Kenya fought for independence but many of them died in the forest still they are neglected.

-Njooki says being a housemaid is not a good job hence he consider Gathoni that she is jobless. She also says housemaid is being used by their bosses as their wife when their real wife is away.

-Kiguunda was dismissed from the job after exchanging bad words with Kioi. His and has been sold by the bank to Kioi, Ikuua and whites as he fail to pay back the loan because he engage himself into drinking too much. He sold his furnishes but he never paid back the loan.

-Kiguunda conflict with his wife as the wife is against the habit of drinking. Wangeci attack Kiguunda because of his habit as a result Kiguunda fight with his wife and they are separated by Gicaamba and Njooki.

-Gicaamba advises them to stop fighting as fighting cannot eliminate their problem (this shows that Gicaamba is a wise man) . Instead they should sit and think together the way they can use to solve their problems and think critically who are their real enemies and how to fight against these enemies like exploitation, Poverty, oppression etc.

-Gicaamba insist unity as the only way they can use to eliminate poverty.

He also discourages the habit of drinks so much as they can not solve their problem in that way.

FORM
(i) Symbolism
The title I WILL MARRY WHEN I WANT has been used symbolically to represent the way people especially girls need freedom in different perspectives of life.
For instance the issue of Gathoni’s marriage where by the mother force her to get a husband but Gathoni tells her that she will marry when she wants.
Gathoni “Sorry!
I shall marry when I want
Nobody will force me into it” Page 16

It also symbolize too much freedom that girls want to have which result into negative repercussion.
It also shows the way people are traditional due to ignorance hence they want things to happen as they want.

Bedbugs

This refers to the class of exploiters like Koi IKua and the foreigners who use the poor people while paying them very low wages.

Gun & Sword

This symbolizes the struggle between the superior against inferior are the rich Vs the poor. The sword shows the weakness of the poor while the gun shows the strength of the rich.

Wedding

-It shows the justification of love between the two
-It also shows the satisfaction and blessings given by the society to the couples
In the play we see the concept of second marriage between Kiguunda & Wangeci at first they refused.This shows that people have freedom in making decision.
The acceptance of the second wedding shows the weakness of the tradition weddings that they are not blessed and traditional customs and norms are not accepted
This symbolizes the acceptance of Neo-colonialism in African societies.